Proposed New Test of Spin Effects in General Relativity.pdfVIP

Proposed New Test of Spin Effects in General Relativity R. F. O’Connell∗ Department of Physics and Astronomy, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803-4001 (Dated: February 7, 2008) Abstract 4 0 The recent discovery of a double-pulsar PSR J0737-3039A/B provides an opportunity of 0 2 unequivocally observing, for the first time, spin effects in general relativity. Existing efforts involve p e detection of the precession of the spinning body itself. However, for a close binary system, spin S effects on the orbit may also be discernable. Not only do they add to the advance of the periastron 7 2 (by an amount which is small compared to the conventional contribution) but they also give rise 1 v to a precession of the orbit about the spin direction. The measurement of such an effect would 1 0 also give information on the moment of inertia of pulsars. 1 9 0 4 0 / c q - r g : v i X r a PACS number(s): 04.20.-q, 04.25.nX, 04.80.-y ∗ E-mail: rfoc@phys.lsu.edu 1 The Hulse-Taylor binary pulsar PSR 1913+16 has proved to be a fascinating laboratory- in-the-sky for the investigation of general relativistic effects. However, the recent discovery of a close double-pulsar binary system [1, 2] (with an orbital period about 3 times smaller and a pulsar period also smaller for the larger mass pulsar) promises an opportunity for even more exciting discoveries. Here, we consider spin effects. Attempts to measure gravitational effects due to spin in the laboratory are futile [3]. The proposal of Schiff to investigate such effects